


Naughts and Crosses

by eliniel



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Amaurotine Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Fun, Gen, Let the Gremlin Games™ Begin, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Quick cameo from Hades, Silly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-03-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:35:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23042599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eliniel/pseuds/eliniel
Summary: Upon discovering Lahabrea asleep in his office, Hythlodaeus convinces his dearest friend  to play a game with him.
Relationships: Solus zos Galvus | Emet-Selch/Warrior of Light
Comments: 5
Kudos: 39





	Naughts and Crosses

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt idea from ValriaRei on Twitter: [here.](https://twitter.com/ValriaRei/status/1235549482596605952?s=20)
> 
> It's...sorta a little different than the HC but *laughs* I had fun with it. I hope you enjoy it, anyway!

“Lahabrea?”

I knocked on the door that led to the Speaker’s office and waited for him to either answer or bid us enter. When I received no response, I pursed my lips and looked over my shoulder at Hythlodaeus, who tilted his head.

“Lahabrea, sir?” I called again.

Nothing.

“Is he not in?” I hummed and shrugged my shoulders. 

“It doesn’t look like it,” I replied with a sigh, looking down at the large book in my arms. “Now what do we do? He wanted this manuscript right away.”

“I suppose...we could just leave it on his desk,” my companion offered, reaching past me to turn the handle. My eyes widened and I tried to shove him out of the way. 

“‘Daeus!” I whispered forcefully. “You can’t just  _ enter _ his office without-”

Before I could stop him, he pushed the door open. I sucked in a deep breath and held it as the hinges squealed. Hythlodaeus looked down both sides of the hallway, watching for any unwanted company. 

When no one came, I exhaled in relief. He nodded his head towards the office.

“Well, go on.” I hesitated, clutching to book tightly to my chest, insides twisting in knots.

“What if he-”

“He’s not going to be mad,” he insisted. “And if he is, I’ll take the blame.” I clicked my tongue and rolled my eyes.

“That is  _ not _ comforting in the least, you know.” He chuckled quietly and pressed against me, nudging me forward with him. 

“Come on,” he ordered again. “I’ll go with you if it’ll make you feel better.” I chewed on my bottom lip for a moment before finally giving in with a nod.

“Fine,” I sighed. “But we put it on the desk and leave immediately.” I eyed him warily from the corner of my eye. “ _ Nothing more _ .” One side of his mouth tugged upward at my pointed statement. 

“Oh, alright,” he agreed. I examined his masked face, trying to judge his sincerity before nodding. 

The both of us poked our heads inside and glanced around. 

A large desk sat right in front of the door, its surface cluttered with papers and quill pens, and multiple stacks of books towered above us. A cushioned desk chair was pushed in underneath and a large, glowing window behind it, the light of the midday sun illuminating the room. 

Hythlodaeus scoffed as he took a step past me, moving to take a closer look. 

“You’d think the  _ almighty _ Speaker of the Convocation would be a little more...organized,” he said, amusement in his voice as he leaned over, examining the paperwork, locks of his long, pale hair slipping from beneath his hood. I pursed my lips again and closed the distance between us, waving my hand in his face. 

“Stop that,” I commanded. “That’s private.”

He huffed a laugh and stood straight. 

“He’s never going to know.” I blew a sharp breath out of my nose as his grin widened.

“You promised.” He tilted his head towards me. 

“I did  _ not _ promise,” he teased as he tucked his hair behind his ear. When I shot him a look, he released a defeated sigh, and dramatically draped himself across the arms of the chair, the back of his hand on his forehead in mock sorrow. I watched him, unimpressed. 

“Hades has rubbed off on you more than you know, my friend. You  _ used _ to be fun.”

My cheeks puffed out in indignation as he stood again, and stepped around the chair to meet me. His eyes lit with glee at my expression and he lifted his hands to my face. He squished my cheeks, forcing me to blow the air out. I narrowed my eyes, but he took a step back.

“Well, come on, then,” he said, motioning towards the desk. “Do your duty and deliver this book that was  _ extremely important _ .”

I clicked my tongue at him and did as requested, gingerly setting it down in the middle so that it didn’t disturb anything already there, but would be noticeable when Lahabrea returned. I picked up one of the pens lying around and reached for a spare piece of paper to jot down a quick note.

When I looked back up, Hythlodaeus was standing in front of one of the bookcases on the other side of the room. I sighed in frustration.

“‘Must you?”

“Calm down,” he said without looking my way, eyes roaming the different trinkets and books the Speaker had collected over the years. “I won’t touch.”

I crossed my arms over my chest with a frown.

“Explain to me why we’re friends, again.” He chuckled in response and reached out to pluck a small figurine from a shelf.

“‘Daeus!” I hissed. His hand paused and he heaved another histrionic sigh. 

“Oh, alright,” he relented. I shook my head as he turned back towards me. 

“Now I know where Hades gets his flair for the dramatic,” I muttered, coming around the desk again and towards the door.

I was halfway out when I realized my companion was not with me. With a groan, I leaned back into the room, peering at him from around the door.

“Are you coming or-”

Quickly, he lifted a finger to his lips, cutting off my sentence. I furrowed my brow, shaking my head in confusion. With the same finger, he pointed down. I followed his gaze to a couch and a side table I had not noticed before.

On the surface of the table sat a red Convocation mask- Lahabrea’s. 

And on the couch-

My eyes widened as my whole body tensed. 

The Speaker himself laid there, his hood drawn over his eyes to block the light, his breathing even. I watched as Hythlodaeus bent over him, carefully searching for signs of consciousness. He reached an arm out, waving it over Lahabrea’s face. When he straightened again, I saw a  _ familiar _ glint in his eyes, clear and playful.

“‘Daeus, don’t even-”

“Play a game with me?”

I clenched my jaw and closed the distance between us.

“We are  _ not _ pranking a member of the Convocation, Hythlodaeus. That is where I draw the line.” I tugged on the fabric of his sleeve, urging him to leave with me. “Let’s get out of here before he wakes up.”

“Don’t be such a spoil sport.” He turned back to the desk for a moment, and reached for a pen and inkwell. “We prank Hades  _ all the time _ .”

“Hades is  _ not _ part of the Convocation,” I reminded him. “And we’ve been friends with him for  _ years _ .”

He hummed, unconcerned, as he dipped the quill into the ink and knelt next to the couch. “Come on, it’s a new game. One of our classmates came up with the idea.”

I bristled as he drew four lines on the other man’s face, two horizontal, two vertical. 

“Paper would work just fine-”

“But not nearly as fun.” I pinched the bridge of my nose, but he stood again and nudged me with his hip. “He’s asleep, he won’t have a clue. Besides, it’s only fair since he had us rush over to deliver this book and we found him  _ slacking _ .”

“You are a constant headache, you know,” I sighed. “A horrible influence.” He flashed a smile and held the pen out to me.

“Alright,” he began, taking a deep breath. “You be the X, I’ll be the O. To win, you want to outsmart your opponent and get three in a row. You go first.” 

“Just so you know, I’m doing this against my will. If he  _ ever _ finds out, I will absolutely not hesitate to throw you to the wolves.” 

“Yes, you’ve made your point abundantly clear, but you’re simply worrying over nothing,” he chuckled and I pursed my lips, looking down at the table now on Lahabrea’s cheek as I debated where to place my first move, tapping the feather against my lips. When I decided, I bent over and gently drew an X in the top left corner, then handed the quill back over to Hythlodaeus.

We played the game out, thinking each play out until all of the squares were filled and neither of us victorious. 

“Alright, you’ve had your fun,” I complained. “Let’s get out of-”

“Aw, come now,” he cooed. “We can’t simply leave without a winner and his other cheek is open.” When he went for the pen again, I leaned away, holding it out of his reach.

“‘Daeus, we really need to-” 

“ _ What _ is that incessant racket?” Lahabrea grumbled. The both of us froze and I held my breath. A moment later, Hythlodaeus recovered from his shock and plucked the pen from my hand, moving quickly to set both it and the ink back on the desk as the Speaker began to wake. 

We were nearly out the door when he called after us, halting us in our tracks.

“ _ What _ are you doing in my office?”

I cringed and turned back to the desk as he stood from the couch. 

“We-we were delivering the book you requested from the archives of the Akadaemia,” I answered, folding my arms behind my back and forcing a smile to my face. “You didn’t answer, so we thought to just leave it on your desk, sir.” His annoyed expression lightened, immediately.

“Ah, yes. Thank you both for bringing this all the way to my office so quickly,” he said. A nervous laugh escaped me as the Speaker approached the large window behind his desk. “It was a big-” He paused. I watched his reflection in the glass as his brow furrowed, noticing the ink on his face.

“What is-” He lifted his hand to wipe his cheek, the still-wet ink staining his fingers. His eyes shot up to the window again and I sucked in a breath as his gaze locked with mine. “You-” He whipped around the face us. “What did you-” 

“Well,” Hythlodaeus interjected, attempting to keep his voice nonchalant, lifting his arm to rub the back of his neck over his hood. “It’s probably time we get back to class…” He shot a look down at me, nodding his head back toward the door. 

“Right, uh-” I bowed at the waist and quickly spun on my heel as Lahabrea began making his way around the desk, irritation spelled out in his eyes. “Have a good day, sir!” 

“Get back here-!”

“Go, go go-,” Daeus whispered, urgently, a hand pressing on the small of my back.

I hurried out of the office, Hythlodaeus right on my heels, closing the door behind him. 

“What happened to taking the blame?”

“Only if we get caught.” A frustrated groan left me.

“Why do I let you talk me into these things? You always get me into trouble,” I chided him as we hurried towards the exit that led back into the city, where we could disappear until Lahabrea had calmed down. “If I get kicked out of the Akadaemia for this-”

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic. At  _ worst _ we’ll just have to spend extra hours in the lab watching over one of his creations.”

“Or  _ cleaning up _ after one of his creations,” I mumbled.

I heard my name echo from down a hall as we passed, the voice familiar. I came to a fast stop and, though he tried to skid to a halt behind me, Hythlodaeus bumped into my back, causing me to stumble forward a few steps. He grabbed my arm to steady me.

“What are you doing?” he hissed. “Lahabrea will be right on our tails.”

“Why are you two in such a hurry?” the voice asked as a figure jogged up to meet us.

“Hades!” I said with a bright smile. 

“Ah,” my companion said as he turned to face the newcomer. “I see.” Hades grinned down to me as he clapped Hythlodaeus on the shoulder. I wrapped my arms around his waist as he bent down to press a quick kiss to my lips before straightening again.

“Just on our way back to the Akadaemia for class. What about you?”

“Oh, the Convocation asked to speak with me about one of my-”

Lahabrea bellowed our names from down the hall and I jumped, my face flushing as a squeal slipped from my lips. Hades’ shoulders slumped and he rolled his eyes as our friend breathed a laugh.

“Caught, again.”

“What have you done now?” he asked, eyeing me suspiciously.

“Don’t look at me,” I whined. “This was  _ all _ Daeus’ idea.” He sighed, putting his hands on his hips as he shook his head.

“But a member of the  _ Convocation _ ? You two are always-”

“You’re far too serious, Hades-,” Hythlodaeus started, but Hades clicked his tongue.

“And you aren’t serious e-”

“Oh, there he is-”

I opened my mouth to argue, but Hythlodaeus grabbed my wrist and pulled me around the nearest corner. Hades raised a brow as he watched.

“What are you-”

His eyes wandered to where we had just escaped from, his last words cut off by a cough, his eyes wide with surprise. 

I peeked around the corner to see the Speaker come to a stop in front of him, his arms crossed, the anger radiating off his body.

“Hades.”

“L-Lahabrea, sir,” Hades responded with a respectful incline of his head, clearing his throat and trying not to stare at the writing on the Speaker’s face. “Is...everything alright?”

“As a matter of fact, I was looking for the very two students I often see in  _ your _ company. Did you happen to see them pass this way on your way in?”

His eyes flicked to me for half a moment and Hythlodaeus pulled me out of sight again as Lahabrea twisted to follow his gaze. A gasp of surprise nearly escaped me, but Daeus’ hand clamped over my mouth.

“Uh- I’m sorry to say that I have not seen them today.”

The Speaker hummed. 

“Is there a message I could pass on to them for you?”

“That won’t be necessary. You may wait for me in my office, I will be back momentarily to escort you to the meeting.”

“Yes, sir.” 

Two sets of shoes clicked on the tiled floor, one moving away, the other getting closer. I spun quickly, frantically pushing Hythlodaeus to move further down the hallway. 

“He’s coming,” I whispered. “Go!”

The both of us took off running straight out the exit with nothing but a quick look over my shoulder to see Lahabrea standing in the exact center of the hallway, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched us leave.

We ran until we had to stop for air, hiding ourselves in an alley between two tall apartment complexes. I tore the hood from my head and collapsed against the stone wall, sliding down until I sat on the ground. Hythlodaeus leaned over onto his knees, the both of us gasping for air. 

As we caught our breath, he began chuckling. I tilted my head back against the wall to watch him, though his laughter was infectious and soon the both of us had devolved into fits of giggles.

“Did….did you see...his  _ face _ ?” he said between laughs. I held my stomach, tears rising to my eyes, unable to respond.

A moment later, however, there was a hum next to us. Daeus’ laugh choked to an end as Lahabrea stepped out of a portal. 

My mouth immediately dropped open, eyes widening. I tried to scramble to my feet, but the very second I was upright and ready to make my escape, a hand gripped the back of my robe and jerked me back, a short squeal of surprise slipping from my lips. 

“Oh, please,” the Speaker purred. “Don’t stop having fun on my account.” 

“Please, sir,” ‘Daeus began, pleadingly. “It was all-”

“Ah!” Lahabrea lifted his hand to silence my companion. He released my robe so I could turn to face him. “Save your excuses, Hythlodaeus. I do not  _ care _ that it was likely your idea, you both will receive punishment nonetheless.

“You will report to  _ my _ research facilities at the Akadaemia after your classes and assist in the care of my most recent creations for an entire month.”

I pursed my lips, gaze shooting to my friend. He, at the very least, had the sense to look  _ somewhat _ sorry. 

“Yes, sir,” I mumbled in defeat, reaching back to pull my hood up once more. 

“I  _ will _ be making sure to check up on you there, so don’t think about skipping out,” he continued, gaze easily sliding to Hythlodaeus. 

“Of course, sir,” ‘Daeus confirmed with enthusiasm, placing a hand over his heart. I rolled my eyes, knowing what was coming. “I would never dream of it! Is that all you would ask of us, Lahabrea, sir, for this travesty we have committed?”

I elbowed him in the side and he hissed in pain, covering it with one hand.

“As a matter of fact,” the Speaker began again. “Tonight, when you have finished your  _ cleaning duties _ , you will meet me in my office and-” He lifted a hand to motion to his face. “Teach me how to play this game of yours.”

My brow shot up as he turned, his portal opening once more. 

“‘Til this evening.”

When he was gone, Hythlodaeus laid his arm across my shoulders as he slumped against me. I clicked my tongue in annoyance and tried to pull away from him.

“I  _ told _ you.”

“I’m sorry,” he whined, drawing his words out. “I  _ tried _ .” I crossed my arms over my chest.

“I’m never listening to you again,” I groaned as he tightened his hold on me. 

“You always say that.” I sighed and shrugged his arm off, then started making my way from the alley. 

“Come on. We should get back to class.”

“Race me?”

“‘Daeus!”


End file.
